We look at all things extreme and incred in the September issue of K-Zone, including amazing gamers Team Yeah Nah. The team won the 2018 AUNZ Splatoon 2 Cup earlier this year and even competed at the Splatoon 2 World Championships in Los Angeles at E3!

KZ: Hi Yeah Nah! Did you ever think you could be a gaming champion one day?

D: I followed a lot of competitive games in the early 2000s and back then, there weren’t any huge stadiums or live streams like you might see in eSports now. It just looked like when my friends and I would meet up to play, only a bit bigger and with a bit more skill. So while I wasn’t necessarily thinking “I’m going to be a pro gamer” back then, it’s also not that weird for it to have happened.

KZ: How did you react when you won the 2018 AUNZ Splatoon 2 Cup?

G: It was pure joy to be crowned as the best Splatoon 2 team in Australia and New Zealand and to win the even bigger prize of a trip to Los Angeles to compete in the Splatoon 2 World Championship. Receiving those amazing gold Splatoon 2 Pro Controller trophies was the icing on the cake.

KZ: Team Yeah Nah represented Australia and New Zealand at the Splatoon 2 World Championships at E3. What was it like knowing that you guys are some of the best players in the world?

D: I actually didn’t feel too pressured, and I think a lot of us were also pretty relaxed. For me at least, I’d already achieved what I wanted to do, so I just wanted to do my best and meet some of my friends from North America and Europe.

KZ: What are your favourite things about Splatoon 2?

R: One of my new favourite things is the recently released Octo Expansion DLC. It has a lot of unique challenges that we haven't experienced in a single player Splatoon mode yet. I think the developers had a lot of fun coming up with ideas for the levels because they are quite inventive and, for lack of a better word, fresh. Also, no spoilers but the story becomes pretty satisfying and fans of the original Splatoon will appreciate it too.

KZ: What’s your favourite stage?

D: New Albacore Hotel is a really cool stage for me. Most of the stages in Splatoon are pretty small compared to what I’m used to from other games, but New Albacore Hotel is huge and has a lot of ways to move around.

KZ: Do you have a favourite move or tactic?

R: I really like the dualies weapons, which have a unique rolling mechanic. It's a very versatile move. Used defensively it makes escaping tough situations a lot easier and on the attack it makes it a lot harder for opponents to hit you whilst making it easier for you to hit them. It may take some time to get used to but I really like to see dodge rolls used well and creatively.

KZ: You guys are Turf War pros now but were there any moments in the game that stumped you or took a while to pass when you first played the game?

D: The hardest thing for me was breaking some of the habits I’d built up from other shooter games I’d played before Splatoon. I started playing with the release of the original Splatoon, and the only ranked mode was Splat Zones, so I was getting used to playing really defensively. When Tower Control and Rainmaker came out later on, and I needed to start being more aggressive, it took me a while to get used to it.

Want some sneaky Splatoon 2 tips from these incred gamers? Check out the September issue of K-Zone, on sale now!